Participant Info

2016 Baseball Canada Cup

Fort McMurray, Alberta – August 3-8

Greetings from the 2016 Baseball Canada Cup Organizing Committee!

We are so excited to welcome you to Fort McMurray this summer! As you may know our region faced some challenging circumstances this spring with a wildfire and mandatory community evacuation, but we are ready to host this incredible event and ensure you have both a wonderful tournament experience as well as an opportunity to enjoy our community. The information in this package will be updated on a regular basis as more information becomes available. We genuinely appreciate your patience and understanding as we refine some of the details and work towards this event in August. Once again, we are very pleased to be your hosts for this year’s Baseball Canada Cup!

Fort McMurray Information

Fort McMurray is located in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB). The RMWB is a collection of several communities, of which Fort McMurray is the urban centre. Fort McMurray offers a wide range of services, including hotels, restaurants, department stores and more. The majority of the retail and restaurant opportunities are located in the downtown core, where you will find:

·Peter Pond Shopping Mall (location of SportChek)

·Wal-Mart

·Tim Hortons

·Starbucks

·Canadian Tire

·Moxie’s Restaurant

·Montana’s Restaurant

·MacDonald’s

·Wendy’s

·A&W

·Earls

·A variety of independent restaurants and retailers

Fort McMurray also hosts tourist attractions, including the Oil Sands Discovery Centre where you can learn about the history of the oil sands as well as the extraction process. Marine Park, located in downtown Fort McMurray, showcases the river history of the region, including the barges used for transportation of goods through the communities located along the rivers.

Venue Information

The two venues for the 2016 Baseball Canada Cup are:

·Baseball Stadium at Shell Place, MacDonald Island Park

·Ross Hennigar Ball Park, located in the Thickwood neighbourhood of Fort McMurray

Both ball parks are in great shape this season and have not been impacted by the wildfire event. The Baseball Stadium at Shell Place is located at MacDonald Island Park, which is a full service recreation facility that also includes the Miskanaw Golf Club and Suncor Community Leisure Centre. Located in the Suncor Community Leisure Centre are several amenities, including the Syncrude Aquatic Centre, TOTAL Fitness Centre, Fort McKay Group of Companies Running Track, two indoor field houses, squash and racquetball courts, and more.

The Baseball Stadium at Shell Place includes locker rooms for the athletes.

Ross Hennigar Ball Park is located in the Thickwood residential neighbourhood in Fort McMurray.

The Welcome Reception and BBQ will take place on Tuesday, August 2 at Shell Place. The evening will begin at 6:00 pm and includes a BBQ dinner and live entertainment. The Welcome Reception is complimentary for players, coaches and managers. Additional tickets for this event are available for parents and families who wish to attend at a cost of $35 + GST per person. Tickets for the Welcome Reception can be purchased by calling the Shell Place Box Office at 780-791-0070 ext.3121. Tickets must be purchased before 4:00pm on July 27.

Pre-Tournament Meeting

The pre-tournament meeting will take place immediately following the Welcome Reception and BBQ on Tuesday August 2 at 8:30pm at Shell Place.

Team Photography

Team photography will take place prior to the Welcome Reception and BBQ on Tuesday August 2nd.

Teams will need to arrive dressed in full uniform and will be provided with a space to change into street clothes and store their uniforms during the photo session.

Please be at stadium level at the assigned time below to have your photo taken.

Opening Ceremonies will take place on Wednesday, August 3 at 6:00 pm at the Baseball Stadium at Shell Place, MacDonald Island Park

Closing Ceremonies will take place on Sunday, August 7 following the Gold Medal Game, which is scheduled for 7:25 pm at the Baseball Stadium at Shell Place, MacDonald Island Park

Practice Opportunities

Batting Cages:On behalf of the Host Organizing Committee, we will be offering free use of the indoor batting cages in the Nexen Activity Fieldhouse at the Suncor Community Leisure Centre from August 2, 2016 to August 8, 2016. Teams will be limited to 2 (two), thirty minute bookings per day and bookings shall not be booked consecutively. Team Managers may book the batting cages on a first come first serve basis through the Regional Recreation Corporation of Wood Buffalo Reservation Coordinator, Glenna Green. Glenna’s contact information is glenna.green@onerec.ca or 780-791-0070 ext. 5022.

Physical Therapy

Clearwater Physical Therapy is located at MacDonald Island Park and will have reserved spots available for Baseball Canada Cup participants from August 3-8. Please see attached letter for available services and more information.

Transportation

Team transportation will depart one hour and twenty minutes prior to game time from the host hotels to the venues. It will return immediately following the games. If unforeseen changes are needed due to weather, schedule changes, etc, the Host Organizing Committee will make all necessary arrangements. If Team Managers are needing to request a change due to team meals, practice times, etc, we ask you give 24 hours notice and call our Director of Transportation, Dave Hutchinson at 780- 804-1850. Our transportation providers will do their best to accommodate requests within the 24 hour period as well.

Accommodations

Our 2016 Host Organizing Committee has partnered with the Fort McMurray Hotel Group for the Canada Cup event. Teams will be staying at the following hotels:

Teams are asked to contact the Fort McMurray Hotel Group Reservations Manager by phone at 780-381-5744 or by email at reservations@fortmcmurrayhotels.ca to confirm their reservation. All teams have eight rooms from August 2nd to August 9th currently reserved. Seven of those rooms will be paid for by the Host Organizing Committee and each team has the choice to keep the eighth room at their own expense at time of reservation.

Teams will still be required to provide a valid non-prepaid credit card at check in to cover any incidentals that may be incurred.

Family & Friends

Family and friends can benefit from a preferred rate available at the four host hotels as well as at two additional participating Fort McMurray hotels. Reservations can be made based on availability by calling 1-866-650-3678 or by contacting the hotel directly. Please note that the rates below do not include additional taxes.

·MacDonald Island Park: Team meal packages will be available through the MacDonald Island Park Hospitality Department. Please see the attached Team Meal Pre-Order Forms to arrange these meals. Completed forms, along with the completed credit card authorization form, can be sent to Katrina.rossburger@ONErec.ca.

** Order forms for meals through MacDonald Island Park must be submitted before 4:00pm on July 26.

·Fort McMurray Hotel Group: Team meal breakfast packages are also available through the Fort McMurray Hotel Group as follows:

Transportation has been arranged for umpires. Umpires are asked to contact the Director of Umpires Craig Langille at craig.langille@onerec.ca or 780-791-0070 ext. 5096 directly to discuss transportation details.

Accommodations are based on double occupancy and will be paid for by the Host Organizing Committee from August 2nd to August 9th. Room listing must be provided ten days in advance to the Host Organizing Committee.

Umpires will still be required to provide a valid non-prepaid credit card at check in to cover any incidentals that may be incurred.

Merchandise and Tournament Passes

2016 Baseball Canada Cup Merchandise

2016 Baseball Canada Cup-themed merchandise will be available for purchase. Teams, coaches, parents and other participants will have an advance opportunity to purchase these items at the Welcome Reception and BBQ on Tuesday, August 2. Available for purchase are: hats ($40 plus GST), hoodies ($45 plus GST), shorts ($30 plus GST) and baseball t-shirts ($35 plus GST).

Tournament passes, which include access to all games at both venues, including the Bronze Medal Game, Gold Medal Game, and Opening and Closing Ceremonies, are available as follows:

2016 Baseball Canada Cup tournament passes are now available for purchase. Tournament passes can be purchased by sending the completed 2016 Baseball Canada Cup ticket order form to Erica.brewer@ONErec.ca or calling the Shell Place Box Office at 780-791-0070 x.3121 (order form was sent to the Provincial Office).

About Baseball Canada

Federally incorporated in 1964 as the Canadian Federation of Amateur Baseball, Baseball Canada is the national governing body for baseball in Canada and is made up of 10 provincial associations representing players, coaches and umpires nationwide.